The Times Athlete of the Week: Fieldcrest baseball’s Jordan Heider

Of 418 votes cast for The Times Athlete of the Week, Fieldcrest baseball’s Jordan Heider raked in 321 to run away with last week’s honor.

Heider recorded a double and two singles at the plate and worked six innings on the mound to earn the win as the Knights edged Prairie Central 5-3.

Also on the ballot were runner-up Emma Mino (Seneca softball), Jacoby Gooden (Marquette boys track and field) and Shaylen Quinn (Ottawa girls track and field).

Weekly ballots go online Mondays and are accessible via Facebook (The Times Sports) and Twitter (@jtpedelty), with voting going through midday Wednesday.

Here is a Q&A with this week’s winner:

Do you have any nicknames?

Heider: My nickname is Jhei.

With the postseason rapidly approaching, the Knights baseball team has been hovering around the .500 mark much of the regular season. What will be the keys for you guys to make a postseason run?

Heider: For us to make a run in the postseason, we just need to come together as a group and bring good energy so everyone is loose.

How old were you when you first started playing baseball, and in what league?

Heider: I first started playing when I was about 5 or 6 for my town’s rec ball league.

Do you enjoy batting leadoff? Does it change your approach at the plate as opposed to if you were hitting somewhere else in the lineup?

Heider: I do enjoy batting leadoff. I like how my at-bat can set the tone for the team and give the rest of my teammates something to build off of.

You’re also a standout basketball player. How much baseball do you do during the winter basketball season and vice versa? Which do you play more in the summer?

Heider: Normally whatever sports season is typically what I dedicate most of my time to practicing ,so during the winter I mostly play basketball, while the summer is all baseball.

What has been your favorite moment in a Fieldcrest uniform, baseball or basketball?

Heider: My favorite moment in a Fieldcrest uniform would probably be winning regionals in basketball my junior year, and I hope to do it again in baseball this year.

You’ve committed to play baseball for Illinois Central College, correct? What made it the right fit for you?

Heider: Yeah, I chose to commit to Illinois Central College because I really liked the coaching staff and feel like the group of guys that they’re getting together is going to help get the program back to its winning ways.

If you could see any musical artist in concert anywhere in the world tomorrow night, all expenses paid, who would you choose and where would you see them?

Heider: I would like to see Drake in concert at Soldier Field in Chicago.

What movie would you say you’ve seen more than any other, and about how many times?

Heider: I feel like I have probably watched “Space Jam” close to 10 times.

The team’s going out to a local restaurant to celebrate a big win, and you get to choose the place. Where are you going, and what are you ordering?

Heider: I would go about a block from our field to The Boardwalk and get some wings.

Is there something about you that people who only know you through sports might find surprising?

Heider: I feel people who only know me through sports may be surprised that I write left-handed.

If you had to sum up your time at Fieldcrest High School in three words, which three would you choose?

Heider: Growth. Winning. Memorable.